2,454 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Acquired by HB Wealth Management LLC

HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,454 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $556,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,685,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in STERIS by 0.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,999 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,586,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 16.4% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,631 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $823,000 after buying an additional 511 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter valued at approximately $121,000. Finally, Journey Strategic Wealth LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on STE. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of STERIS from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $276.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $270.33.

STERIS Price Performance

STE stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $226.69. 733,675 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 634,152. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $200.98 and a 52 week high of $252.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.56 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $227.97.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is a positive change from STERIS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. STERIS's payout ratio is 40.65%.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.